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are of divine Institution, and confequently facred Tindal's Cont and inviolable. That the Perfons as well as the Introd. P. I. Authority of Kings are ordained by GOD.

That the King is the fole Fountain of Power. "That all the Liberties and Privileges of the Peo

ple are but fo many Conceffions or Extortions "from the Crown. That the King is not bound 66 to his People by his Coronation-Oath, but only "before GOD, to whom alone he is accountable. "That the King's Violations of the Laws are not to be restrained by Force: but Subjects ought either actively to obey his Commands, or paffively fubmit to his Will; and have no other Refuge left under the most cruel Tyranny but Prayers and Tears."

έσ

With these Principles he came to the Throne in the 25th Year of his Age. At the very Time when he was attending the Solemnities of his Father's Funeral at Westminster, thofe of his own Marriage were celebrating at Paris, to Henrietta Maria, Sister to Lewis XIII. of France.

"The Queen was an agreeable and beautiful Neal, Vol. II. Lady, and by Degrees (fais Lord Clarendon,) pag. 154. obtained a Plenitude of Power over the King.

His Majefty had her in perfect Adoration, and "would do nothing without her; but was in"exorable to every Thing he promised her."-

દ

328.

"Her Power over him was abfolute-She was Clarend. Hift. Queen, not fo much of the Nation, as of the Vol. I. p. 167. King himself; and had the fole, rather than Vol. II. pag. "the chief Afcendant, in the Government (a)."- Nuncio's "She loved all her Life long to be in Intrigues of Mem. p. 854. all Sorts, but was not fo fecret in them as fuch "Times and fuch Affairs required. She was a Woman

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(a) Regi adeo fuit cara Regina, ut non tam Regni, quam ipfius Regis, Reginam ageret : & in Regimine plus fola, quam potior, effe videretur:

Burnet's Hift. "Woman of great Vivacity in Converfation, but Tim. Vol. I. of no manner of Judgment; was bad at Con"trivance, but much worfe in the Execution.

pag. 31.

Coke Det. p. 171, 182.

Echard pag.

419.

Ibid. pag.

520.

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By the Liveliness of her Difcourfe fhe made always a great Impreffion on the King: And to "her little Practices, as well as to the King's own Temper, the Sequel of all his Misfortunes was owing.

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"The King was fo devoted to her (his zealous Apologist acknowledges) that he would do no"thing without communicating it to her - He affures her in a Letter, that he would not make "a Peace with the Rebels, (the Parliament) with"out her Approbation."

The firft Compliment with which his Majesty received her at Dover, feems to have been prophetic, viz. That he could be no longer MASTER of bimfelf, than while he was a SERVANT to her. This was very fadly verified in the Event. For the King ruled not his three Kingdoms in a more abfolute and defpotick Manner, than Himself was ruled by the Queen. His History affords abundant Proof of this: let it fuffice here only to obferve, That to that defperate and rafh Act, his Going with an armed Force to feife and haul the Five Members from the Houfe of Commons, he was entirely hurried on by the haughty Spirit of the Queen; for when his Majefty would have declined it," and retired with her into her Clofet, urging many Reasons against it; fhe broke out "into a Paffion-Alle Poltrons, Go CowARD, and pull thefe Rogues cut by the Ears, or never fee my "Face any more." The obfequious Monarch went: burft into the Houfe at the Head of his little Army, and pulls down upon his own Ears the Fabrick of our Conftitution, which at laft buried him in its Ruins.

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Bishop

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Bishop Kennet therefore well obferves, "That "the King's Match with this Lady was a greater Judgment to the Nation than the Plague, which "then raged in the Land; for confidering the Malignity of the Popish Religion, the Imperious"nefs of the French Government; the Influence of a ftately Queen over an affectionate Hufband; "the Share fhe muft needs have in the Education "of her Children (till thirteen Years old) it was "then eafy to foresee it might prove very fatal "to our English Prince and People, and lay in a "Vengeance to future Generations.

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"Father Orleans, who was a Confident of King "James II, and whofe History Archdeacon Echard

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recommends, fais, I must in Justice to the Queen "declare, that SHE, being a Daughter of France, Hift. Stu, "was full of that Spirit which warms the Blood pag. 107. "of abfolute Monarchs, and as fuch looked on "a limitted Authority as no better than Servitude: " and therefore made the utmost Efforts to rescue "the King her Husband from under all Restriction "of Laws, Oaths, &c."

"She was a great Bigot to her Religion. Her "Confcience was directed by her Confeffor, affift

"ed by the Pope's Nuntio, and a fecret Cabal of Neal, Vol. II. "Priests and Jefuits. Thefe directed the Queen, pag. 155.

"and She the King: fo that in Effect the Nation

was governed by Popish Councils, till the long "Parliament."

Having thus feen an unhappy Foundation laid, let us go on to view the Structure which was afterwards built upon it.

CHA P. II.

The KING helps Brother, LEWIS XIII, to root out and destroy the brave Proteftants of France.

N the Beginning of his Reign, when the French Proteftants were ftruggling to maintain their Liberties and Religion against a moft perfidious and cruel Oppreffion, King Charles lent the French Monarch a Squadron of eight Ships to help to crush and overwhelm them. But the British Soldiers and Sailors, when they came upon the Coast of France, and knew how they were to be employed, were filled with deep Indignation, "flew into a Echard, pag. «Fury, got up their Anchors, and fet fail for England, declaring, they had rather be hanged

422.

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at Home than be Slaves to the FRENCH, and fight "against the PROTESTANT Religion." The Ad"miral Pennington and the French Officers ufed all Coke Det. p.8. their Rhetorick to perfuade them, (offering

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Chains of Gold, and other Rewards to all those "Captains, Mafters and Owners who fhould go on this Service) but they were all inflexible. "The Admiral acquainted the King; who fent Echard, ibid. him an Order to confign his own Ship immedi"ately into the Hands of the French Admiral, with "all her Equipage, Artillery, &c. and require the "other SEVEN to put themselves into the Service of our dear Brother the French King; and in Cafe

Neal, Vol. II. pag. 165.

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of Backwardness or Refufal, we command you to use "all forcible Means even to Sinking. -In Pur"fuance of this Order the Ships were delivered "into the Hands of the French; but all the Englifh Sailors and Officers (to their immortal Ho"nour be it remembered) abandoned them, exs cept two. The French, having got the Ships

" and

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and Artillery, quickly mann'd them with Sail“ ors of their own Religion; blocked up the (poor oppreffed) Rochellers; cut off their Com"munication with their Proteflant Friends; re"duced them to all the Flardships of a most dreadful Famine and Siege, and forced them to "furrender this chief Bulwark of the Proteftant Intereft in France into the Hands of the Papifts." “Above 15,000 perished for want of Suf- Echard, pag. "tenance, and the Remainder were fo thin and 440. * pale, that they rather resembled Skeletons than

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living Perfons.

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They lived long upon Coke Detec. Horfe-Flesh, Hides, Leather, Dogs and Cats, pag. 78. "hardly leaving an Horfe alive."

"He laid the Foundation of an unhappy Reign,

not only in his Diffimulation in the Treaty of "Marriage, but much more by Engaging to Coke Detec. "affift the French King with a Fleet againft the pag. 195. "Reformed in France; which he did, though the

"French broke their Faith, in denying Mansfield

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to land his Army, raifed by England for the "Recovery of the Palatinate, at Calais.

But King Charles fhortly after, upon a private

Pique of Buckingham his Favourite, without any Clarend. Val. kind of Provocation, Lord Clarendon owns, and 1. pag. 38. upon a particular Paffion very unwarrantable;"

was violently hurried into a War with France: "To Coke Det. "fatiate Buckingham's Spite and Revenge against pag. 5, 44. "Richlieu, for Croffing him in his Luft," as Coke. avers, and will by and by appear.

The Protestants were allured by folemn Promises from his Majefty to depend upon his Support.

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He Echard, pag.

"folicited the Duke of Roban to take up Arms, 44o. "and wrote a Letter to the Mayor, Sheriffs, Peers, Welwood, Burghers, &c. of Rochelle, encouraging them to pag. 72. bold out to the laft; for I am refolved, he fais, "that all my Fleet fhall perish, rather than you shall "not be relieved,-be afjured, I will never abandon

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you